Zac Efron portrayed prolific serial killer Ted Bundy in the 2019 film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Just before his execution, which took place in 1989, Bundy confessed to 30 homicides in the '70s.
2002's Dahmer featured Jeremy Renner as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who is known for killing and dismembering almost 20 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.
Chad Michael Murray also stepped into Bundy's murderous shoes for the 2021 film Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman.
Joshua Jackson embodied Texan neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch in 2021 Peacock series Dr. Death, inspired by the podcast of the same name.
Another Dahmer! In Marc Meyers' 2017 film My Friend Dahmer, Ross Lynch portrayed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's high school days.
For The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Darren Criss left his Glee persona behind as he portrayed serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The performance earned Criss an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award.
Damon Herriman has played infamous cult leader Charles Manson on not one, but two occasions. In Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood, Herriman is referred to as "Charlie." For a 2019 episode of Mindhunter, Herriman played Charles Manson for a scene opposite Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany.
In American Horror Story: Cult, the Manson family murders were recreated. For the scene, AHS lead Evan Peters channeled the infamous cult leader, Charles Manson.
Mindhunter does it again! Cameron Britton gave a bone-chilling portrayal as Ed Kemper on Netflix's Mindhunter.
In 2013's The Frozen Ground, John Cusack portrayed serial killer Robert Hansen (aka Butcher Baker). After abducting, raping and murdering at least 17 women, he was arrested and convicted in 1983.
Brian Dennehy played John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer and sex offender who murdered at least 33 young men/boys between 1972 and 1978, in a two-part television special in 1992.
Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos, a serial killer who murdered seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Monster, which came out in 2003, also stars Christina Ricci as a character based on Wuornos' ex-girlfriend Tyria Moore.
In season nine of American Horror Story, Zach Villa played real-life serial killer Richard Ramirez (aka Night Stalker). Ramirez terrorized Los Angeles and San Francisco residents between 1984 and 1985. The death row inmate died in prison in 2013.